The Toxin Diversity, Cytotoxicity, and Enzymatic Activity of Cape Cobra (<i>Naja nivea</i>) Venom.

ABSTRACT: "True" cobras (genus Naja) are among the venomous snakes most frequently involved in snakebite accidents in Africa and Asia. The Cape cobra (Naja nivea) is one of the African cobras of highest medical importance, but much remains to be learned about its venom. Here, we used a shotgun proteomics approach to better understand the qualitative composition of N. nivea venom and tested its cytotoxicity and protease activity as well as its effect on intracellular Ca²⁺ release and NO synthesis. We identified 156 venom components representing 17 protein families, with the dominant ones being three-finger toxins, mostly of the short-chain type. Two-thirds of the three-finger toxin entries identified were assigned as cytotoxins, while the remainder were categorized as

SUBMITTER: Luddecke T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11511112 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature